106 



BULGARIA. 



ernraent of Bulgaria, Austria would have re- 

 sisted, with the support of Germany. Russia 

 was given to understand that the allied em- 

 pires would not countenance nor permit a 

 military occupation of Bulgaria, nor the estab- 

 lishment of a protectorate. 



The Regency. The prince appointed as re- 

 gents three men whom he considered his prin- 

 cipal adherents, thoroughly identified with the 

 policy he hud pursued in recent years. The 

 ministers also were mostly men of conserva- 

 tive and nationalist views. The portfolio of 

 finance was given to Geshoff, while Dr. Stoilofi 

 was made Minister of Justice, and Natchevich 

 of War. The presidency of the Council was 

 conferred upon Radoslavoff, who was more 

 friendly to Russia, but still an advocate of Bul- 

 garian independence, as was also his radical 

 colleague, Theodor Ivanchoff. 



In reply to inquiries from the provisional 

 government, the St. Petersburg Cabinet de- 

 clared that it would sustain the regency so 

 long as the interests of the whole country 

 were observed, and peace and order main- 

 tained ; that Russia was opposed to the elec- 

 tion of a new prince until the complete return 

 of tranquillity ; that Russia was prepared to 

 promote the union of the two Bulgarias, but 

 not in the present violent form ; and that the 

 establishment of good relations between Rus- 

 sia and Bulgaria depended upon the provis- 

 ional government, and upon its repairing its 

 past mistakes. The regency appealed to some 

 of the powers for recognition in order to con- 

 strain Russia to follow the other treaty pow- 

 ers in such an act, but received the answer 

 from Italy that, as the legal depository of the 

 executive power, it needed no special recog- 

 nition. 



The Russian Government expressed the in- 

 tention of sending a commissary to Bulgaria, 

 but refrained from so momentous a step, and 

 dispatched instead, as its diplomatic agent, 

 Gen. Kaulbars, a brother of the former Rus- 

 sian Minister of War in Bulgaria. 



The Sobranje met on September 13, and 

 adopted an address to the Czar, expressing the 

 deep attachment of Bulgaria. In the answer 

 to the address of the regents, the deputies de- 

 clared that the crime of August 21 should be 

 treated as an act of treason against the inde- 

 pendence of the nation and against the crown 

 of the beloved Prince Alexander, and expressed 

 gratitude to the prince for his magnanimous 

 abdication in order to restore cordial relations 

 with Russia. In the election of a president 

 the adherents of the Zankoff party numbered 

 only 13 of the 200 members present. 



A bill was passed, with practical unanimity, 

 to purchase the property of Prince Alexander 

 in Hulgnria for 2,500,000 francs, which would 

 discharge the debts he had incurred to keep 

 up his state, and yield him a considerable sum 

 besides; but the surplus was eventually de- 

 clined. The Sobranje separated on Sept. 18. 

 On the 19th of September the Russian consul 



delivered a note to the Bulgarian Government 

 demanding a postponement of the trials of of- 

 ficers and others who had been arrested for 

 complicity in the state-stroke of August 21, 

 until a calmer state of public feeling existed. 



The Mission of Raulbars. Gen. Kaulbars ar- 

 arived in Sofia on the 25th of September. The 

 Government appointed the 10th of October for 

 the election of the Great Sobranje summoned 

 to choose a new prince. The regents and 

 leading politicians were at first in fav^or of re- 

 electing Prince Battenberg, in accordance with 

 the general desire of the people, but gave up 

 the idea out of regard for the sentiments of the 

 Czar, and because it was certain the choice 

 would not be acceptable to all of the powers. 



Baron Kaulbars placed himself in antago- 

 nism with the Government from the time of 

 his arrival. He demanded that the processes 

 begun against the officers who had participated 

 in the abduction of the prince should be dis- 

 continued, and the prisoners set free ; that the 

 state of siege should be revoked ; and that the 

 elections to the Great Sobranje should be in- 

 definitely postponed. He issued a circular to 

 the Russian consuls, in which he accused the 

 Government of suppressing a telegram from 

 the Czar, condemned the burning of the flag 

 of the mutinous Strunsky regiment, and con- 

 tested the right of the courts to proceed in the 

 trial of the officers, because the members of the 

 Government belonged to a hostile party. 



He said, in this circular, that the Czar ex- 

 pected all Bulgarians to turn to him with per- 

 fect confidence as their only deliverer ; that the 

 time for empty words and declarations had 

 gone by, and he looked for acts by which Bul- 

 garia should prove, in an unquestionable man- 

 ner, her devotion, and then only would he 

 deign to further her progress internally and 

 externally. 



The ministers informed Gen. Kaulbars on 

 October 1 that the Russian demands with re- 

 gard to the state of siege and the persons ar- 

 rested on account of the coup d'etat were ac- 

 cepted, but that they could not agree to a post- 

 ponement of the election, which was fixed for 

 October 11. The order restoring the ordinary 

 law had already been issued the day before. 

 Kaulbars declined to accept the dispatch be- 

 cause it was not clear enough, whereupon the 

 ministry sent another note, declaring that the 

 Bulgarian Government desired to follow the 

 counsels. of Russia, but only so far as the laws 

 of the land permitted. The Bulgarian Con- 

 stitution requires an election of a Great So- 

 branje within a month after the throne be- 

 comes vacant; but the Russian agent argued 

 that regard should be had to the extraordinary 

 conditions, and that the election of a prince 

 would be useless until the powers had agreed 

 on a candidate. The arrested officers were set 

 free on October 4, with the exception of seven 

 of the principal conspirators. 



The Russian consul in Philippopolis was 

 ordered by Gen, Kaulbars to distribute litho- 



